Construction World March 2018

PROPERTY

As a result of the discovery of oil in the region, and the need to maximise value from the resource, the Government of Uganda has allocated approximately 3 000 ha of land for the project, making it one of the largest industrial parks in the world. The Industrial Park is intended to form part of a new industrial city encompassing: an oil and gas refinery; energy, petrochemical and other strategic industries; an international airport; commercial and administrative areas; health and education facilities; residential neighbourhoods; public spaces; free zone, oil and gas export hub, and green areas. “The park will have first class facilities, utilities and advanced security built to the most up to date standards and practices”, explains Godfrey Hatejeka, SMEC’s Utilities Engineer, Uganda. “All this will be centrally controlled with a SCADA system”. Hatejeka has Ugandan oil and gas industrial park Global consulting engineering firm SMEC, part of the Surbana Jurong Group, was engaged by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development of Uganda to develop a Master Plan for an Oil and Gas Industrial Park in Kabaale, western Uganda.

been responsible for facilitating meetings between stakeholders and government bodies, co-ordinating project experts both local and international, and ensuring adherence to the scope of the contract and SMEC reporting standards. During construction the refinery will create approximately 5 000 jobs, and approximately 650 jobs during operation. When operating at full capacity, the Park will provide over 30 000 direct jobs and about the same number of indirect jobs. The Industrial Park will contribute to the overall development of the Ugandan economy and also facilitate the growth of the neighbouring trading centres like Hoima, Kabaale, Buseruka, Kaseeta, Kataba and others by providing support services to the Park. “Being the first project of this nature in Uganda specifically, and East Africa as a whole”, says Hatejeka “the Government of Uganda relied substantially on SMEC expertise for setting the project key performance parameters and training its staff on implementing this mega investment”. He concludes, “With SMEC’s global service capability the project was executed within the contract period and budget parameters, to the satisfaction of the client." 

Construction of R800-million project starts Leading South African property developer and investor Atterbury has begun construction on Old Mint Park, a prime industrial development neighbouring the landmark South African Mint and fronting the N1 highway, centrally located between Midrand and Centurion.

The development is a joint venture between Atterbury and Old Mutual Properties that will see a new state of the art 65 000 m 2 industrial park. The first building under construction is a business unit development offering premises ranging from 500 m 2 to 2 500 m 2 in a single 10 000 m 2 building. Concurrently constructed with this is a second building of 4 500 m 2 of warehouse and office space. Atterbury development manager Derrick Pautz reports that earthworks for this development commenced in December 2017. The business units are expected to be complete and available for occupation by the end of this year. “Old Mint Park has been well received by the market. Fortuna Food has already signed the first lease at the business park for a 2 000 m 2 unit. They will begin trading from their new facility from October 2018,” reveals Pautz. One of the development’s biggest drawcards is its location. It is positioned centrally between Johannesburg and Pretoria, where Midrand meets Centurion. It enjoys excellent frontage on the busiest stretch of highway in Southern Africa and is conveniently situated between the N1 – Brakfontein interchange, Old Johannesburg and Pretoria Main roads, and the Samrand on and off-ramps.

The site of Old Mint Park enjoys easy access from Old Johannesburg Road (K101). Importantly, the upgrade of the K101 into a four-lane dual carriageway is due to start later this year. It is from this wider arterial that Old Mint Park will have its own dedicated access road. Old Mint Park is also located directly opposite the future Samrand Gautrain Station and adjacent to the future K220 Road, which is incorporated into its master plan. What’s more, it is already well served by public transport, including busses and taxis. “Old Mint Park’s prime position in a major established and growing business node central to the Gauteng business hub makes it a great asset for business. It benefits from excellent connections to major transport routes, sweeping highway visibility and convenient surrounding residential, education and healthcare facilities,” says Pautz. 

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD MARCH 2018